Music News: Great Big Sea Sets Sail on 20th Anniversary Tour in March 2013

By Fitz, BLOGCRITICS.ORG

Published 10:56 pm, Sunday, January 27, 2013

Great Big Sea is one of those groups that walloped me on the side of the head and made me take notice a couple of years ago with their album Safe Upon the Shore. Hard to believe that this group, which seamlessly blends the genres of folk, bluegrass, and rock, has been doing their thing for 20 years. In 2012 they released their XX greatest hits set and they are kicking off their 20th Anniversary Tour on March 5th, 2013 in Anaheim, CA, crossing North America with 33 dates in 29 cities.

For a band that sounds like they could be playing a gig at any pub around the world, two decades is a long time. But somehow Alan Doyle, Sean McCann, and Bob Hallett launched them from Newfoundland and kept them going with a bit of panache for all that time. When I listened to Safe Upon the Shore, I could feel the truth to the tales they wove into each song, mixing in humor, a touch of sadness, and an amazing amount of highs and lows. How can you argue with a musical landscape painted with those brushes over such a career? Damn, I hope they keep going after this tour is done.

The band will be bouncing to and fro across the U.S. and Canada as they share the many highlights of their repertoire. And I'm sure the tour will create new stories from which new songs will spring!

If you want to catch up with the band, check out their touring schedule across the US:

In the meantime, I'd encourage you to dust off an album or two to get warmed up for the crowds. Or pick up a copy of XX (the two-CD set, full box set with a DVD, or digitally) to refresh your memory for the wild ride the concert is sure to be.